Once I Lived (Masks)
by Natascha Wodin
18 Members (5.00)
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Description
In the form of a letter to her unborn child, a young woman delves into her past. Through her narrative she resurrects spectres that still haunt of her life; her mother, who wandered into a river and never returned, her violent, domineering father, and the chaos of post-war Germany. Born in 1945 to Russian parents, her family had drifted from the famine zone of the war-ravaged Ukraine and ended up in Germany. Always an outsider, the girl's perspective on the tyranny of society, of language, show more and on the adolescent's desperate need to belong is clear-eyed, unspoiled by self-pity and moving. As the post-war West German economic miracle gains momentum and the culture of America -- 1950s nylon blouses and blue jeans -- infiltrates her provincial town, her status as an alien becomes increasingly oppressive. A testament to the human ability to survive, Once I Lived is the story of a child's life moved by the forces of the twentieth century. It perfectly captures the essence of the outsider in a country that is becoming increasingly intolerant of aliens. show lessTags
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15+ Works 210 Members
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Belongs to Publisher Series
I coralli [Einaudi] (25)
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Einmal lebt ich
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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Statistics
- Members
- 18
- Popularity
- 1,393,171
- Rating
- (5.00)
- Languages
- Dutch, English, German, Italian
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 4
